MOSCOW — President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday that Russia will target the American missile defense system in Europe with its own missiles if Moscow cannot reach an agreement with Washington and NATO on how the system will be built and operated.
Medvedev said time hasn’t run out for an agreement, but he accused the United States of failing to take into account Russian concerns.
His declaration, in a televised address, comes a year after he met with the heads of NATO states in Lisbon and said Russia was willing to consider joining in on missile defense, if it could be included as an equal partner.
The American missile defense plan, which dates to the Reagan administration, was revamped two years ago into a proposed system of interceptors based on land and at sea around Europe. The Obama administration argues that this system is designed to protect against Iranian missiles, and it wants Russia’s participation. But defense officials in Moscow — which was, after all, the original target during the Cold War — argue that the missiles could easily be turned against Russia.
Medvedev’s denunciation of the West’s good faith also comes just 11 days before parliamentary elections here, and follows a string of remarks by Russian officials about the threat of NATO expansion, which is not likely to happen anytime soon.
Medvedev is stepping aside as president so that the current prime minister, Vladimir Putin, can take his place. Medvedev will be leading the United Russia party in the December parliamentary elections, and Putin says he will appoint him prime minister. Medvedev has always portrayed himself as the more Western-oriented of the two. But, with elections approaching, he has talked recently about the need to significantly increase defense spending here — over the objections of some of his key advisers.
Elections in Russia, as in other countries, tend to bring out the sabre-rattling side of politicians. But Medvedev announced his policy a day after the United States disclosed that it will no longer be sharing information with Russia as called for by the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty. That is a largely symbolic move — Russia has not abided by the treaty for the past four years — but it demonstrates a distinct cooling in relations between Moscow and Washington.
The Obama administration has also been paying considerably more attention to human rights, the political opposition and threats to a free Internet in Russia.
Medvedev said he has ordered the installation of an early warning radar system in Kaliningrad, Russia’s westernmost enclave. Missiles in what were described as the southern and western parts of Russia are to be equipped with what he called advanced counter-missile systems.
He said Russia could not participate in the missile defense system as it is designed. “We won’t agree to take part in a program that may weaken our potential of deterrence in a relatively short time — five or six or eight years,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment